Tinubu to judges: Block legal loopholes shielding criminals

President Bola Tinubu has urged the judiciary to examine prosecution strategies, discard outdated precedents and close the procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors use to delay or frustrate criminal trials.

Tinubu spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the 8th annual capacity-building workshop for judges and justices, organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the National Judicial Institute.

He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, according to a statement signed Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications.

The President asked the Bench to test the country’s statutory frameworks against emerging financial crimes.

Tinubu also wanted the justice system overhauled so that no well-connected person could use technicalities to evade the law.

“Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” he said.

The President warned that while financial and economic crimes were an existential threat to Nigeria, corruption respected no status and spared no arm of government.

He said it was a fundamental error to frame the anti-corruption campaign as purely an executive agenda, because compromised public services affect the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and ordinary citizens alike.

He described corruption as a battle for the nation’s collective survival.

“We must no longer permit legal pyrotechnics and procedural pedantry to shelter criminality.

“The Bench is not merely a mechanical arbiter of rules, but an active guardian of moral order and social equity,” he said.

“Law is, by design, an instrument of social engineering; it must invariably prioritise the public good over narrow, selfish interests shielded by technical manoeuvres.

“Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law,” he said.

Tinubu added that there would be no meaningful progress in uprooting graft “without an independent, progressive and reform-minded Bench.”

He commended the EFCC for convening the workshop with the theme “Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age.”

Describing the theme as timely, he said, “My Lords, we confront a rapidly shifting criminal landscape. Technology has amplified the audacity and reach of illicit actors, ushering in sophisticated crimes driven by destructive ingenuity.

“The rise of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence has introduced unprecedented layers of complexity to traditional illicit activities.”

He said law enforcement and judicial authorities must continuously build capacity because modern crimes “constantly mutate.”

Tinubu praised the EFCC’s recent work against cryptocurrency fraud, adding that the agency had recovered billions of naira in cryptocurrency investment-related fraud cases.

In 2025, he said, the EFCC secured the forfeiture of $22,417.91 in Bitcoin, 1,001,301.87 USDT in digital assets and $5.6m linked to the CBEX scheme.

He added that 192 foreigners arrested for cyber-terrorism and cryptocurrency fraud were prosecuted and deported.

The President said this showed the EFCC was proactive and unwilling to be outpaced by technology.

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He also commended the EFCC for securing 10,872 convictions and recovering N1.233tn within the first 34 months of his administration.

The President said the EFCC filed 14,476 cases and secured 10,872 convictions during the period, representing a 75.1 per cent conviction-to-filing ratio.

He added that the commission recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 cases filed in the first half of 2026.

Tinubu also disclosed that the EFCC recovered N1.233tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m in monetary assets.

He praised the commission’s efforts in tackling cryptocurrency fraud and recovering virtual assets, saying its operations showed a determination to keep pace with evolving criminal methods.

“The EFCC’s recent momentum in tackling cryptocurrency fraud and its commendable strides in recovering virtual assets is highly reassuring,” he said.

He, however, said the judiciary “must complement law enforcement by rapidly upscaling its capacity.”

Tinubu acknowledged the Chief Justice of Nigeria’s reform efforts and pledged the full support of the executive to equip the judiciary for justice delivery in the digital age.

The CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the workshop reflected the commitment of the NJI and the EFCC to address challenges in the justice system.

She said technology had changed how digital evidence was obtained and recorded, adding that effective criminal justice in the digital era required firm and disciplined case management.

Justice Kekere-Ekun said sustained judicial education had yielded improved conduct by judicial officers, especially in case management.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Emmanuel Udende, said the timing was apt, given the growing sophistication of financial crimes, particularly those involving politically exposed persons, which affect the timely disposal of cases.

He assured stakeholders that the National Assembly would support the fight through proactive legislation.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who was represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said no single arm of government could tackle corruption alone.

He urged judges and lawyers to use the workshop to make investigations more thorough and prosecutions more diligent.

The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, said the EFCC-NJI collaboration had become integral to the government’s efforts against financial crimes.

He said the Vice President’s presence showed the administration’s commitment to the war on corruption.

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, called the event a national imperative.

He said the commission, under his leadership, was reform-minded and had recorded unprecedented convictions and recoveries in three years.

Olukoyede assured the audience that recovered money and property would be handled transparently and judiciously.